


Fox Fire

by FayeValentine



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Farmer Yifan, Fluff, Fox Kai, Foxes, Gumiho - Freeform, Hybrids, Just Kai Being Cute, Kai X everyone, M/M, More Fluff, Mostly peasants, Platonic Relationships, Slight Action, Uncle Baekhyun, Xiumin the Chicken, cuteness, slight romance, villagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 21:31:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9347084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FayeValentine/pseuds/FayeValentine
Summary: Kris is an ex-soldier making a living as a hunter deep in the forbidden mountains. Despite the stories of monsters told in the village at the base of the mountain, Kris finds living in the feared forest peaceful; That is until something begins chasing away the game, leaving behind ominous claw marks…





	1. Chapter One

 

Chapter One

 

 

 

  
“Ya know, it could just have been knocked over in the storm.” Baekhyun said with a nonchalant shrug. His pretty features showed his obvious disinterest, and if Yifan were more attuned to others, he would have noticed the way the smaller male’s eyes darted around the forest a bit uneasily.

 

  
Yifan looked the smaller man over with an incredulous expression on his face. “You think this-“ He pointed to the completely smashed chicken coop, the wire distorted and errant feathers sticking to the splintered wood completed the look along with the occasional smatter of blood. “-is the result of a simple _rainstorm!?”_

 

  
Baekhyun sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he met Yifan’s gaze. “I know you are a stubborn man, but will you just listen to me for once?”

 

  
Yifan ignored him and crouched next to the ground to inspect a marking in the dirt. ‘ _It looks familiar…_ ’ Yifan thought to himself as he grabbed a pinch of dirt and rubbed the gritty soil between his thumb and forefinger. The mark in the dirt was large, though Yifan was sure his hand span was able to dwarf it. It was almost as if a handprint were dragged through the dirt-

 

  
“Hey! Are you even listening to me?” Baekhyun was leaning over, obnoxiously pushing his face close to Yifan’s and blocking the taller man’s line of sight. “Instead of digging around in the dirt, we should be down in the village drinking and maybe I could get that new traveler to-“  
Yifan ended Baekhyun’s rant by using his hand to shove the other male’s face away, making him stumble and fall back on his ass, legs splayed in the dirt in front of him. “Shut up, dog.” Yifan said in a playful tone.

 

Baekhyun was known for chasing after every man worth something in the village, not to mention all the girls.

 

  
“You stupid brute!” Baekhyun sputtered in anger when he finally got his bearings and stood up, dusting himself off fastidiously. Yifan laughed and almost threw in a quip about animals rolling around in dirt but he was stopped by the familiar sound of hooves pounding on the ground.

 

  
Surprised, Yifan ignored Baekhyun’s plea for help and watched as a small legion of imperial troops appeared over the crest of a far off hill. “Are those soldiers?” Baekhyun asked, his voice surprisingly close to Yifan’s ear.

 

  
“Yes.” Yifan replied grimly, noting the way the smaller male stiffened briefly before he relaxed into his usual stance, his expression was most likely calm and blasé enough to make him seem bored.

 

  
Mud splattered onto the pristine white socks of a large, imposing horse when a soldier pulled on the tasseled reins. Three other men stopped behind the well armored man, flanking him with similar attire and bred horses. The morning sun peaked behind a persistent storm cloud, and as if on cue, shone upon the gilded purple and gold banners trailing on the backs of two soldiers, highlighting the crest of the emperor stitched elegantly with silver thread onto the silk fabric.

 

  
Yifan stayed silent, his face falling into a stony mask of indifference that he couldn’t shake off without making a conscious effort to smile. It seemed that he couldn’t exactly escape his past.

 

Silence fell uncomfortably onto the assembled figures and Yifan sighed as he made an effort to not appear rude. He really didn’t need any more soldiers appearing for any other reason. “To what do I owe the honor of your visit, Captain Huang?”

 

  
The tall man on the first horse smiled briefly before he schooled his expression and greeted Yifan with a wry tone, hinting at something distinctly threatening. “Captain Huang?” The dark haired man repeated with an amused laugh. “Why Yifan, I thought we were friends? Why so formal with your former student?”

 

  
Yifan snorted as he gave the man sitting on the horse an unimpressed look. “I wouldn’t _dare_ to address an imperial soldier above my station in such a rude manner.” He said, voice dripping with sarcasm that was blatantly obvious to all present.

 

  
A soldier seated on the captain’s right growled in indignant anger. “Watch how you speak to the Captain, peasant!” Yifan glanced at him lazily as he scratched the back of his head and yawned. “For your transgressions upon the emperor’s own soldiers, I would be _glad_ to behead you!” The hot headed soldier declared as he drew his sword and yanked on the reins of his horse, prepared to attack Yifan.

 

  
The horse reared and Yifan tensed and fell into a familiar stance fluidly, his eyes sharp and his mind focused. Baekhyun gasped from behind him, and Yifan mentally went through several different moves he could execute in time to stop the incoming attack and protect Baekhyun. ‘ _Damn!’_ Yifan cursed mentally when the horse began to fall back on all fours, prepared to run down Yifan and Baekhyun. _‘I shouldn’t have left my sword behind!’_

 

  
“Sehun, enough!” The captain ordered in a tone that promised punishment if his orders went unheeded. Sehun immediately pulled the reins of his horse and turned to gape at his superior. “But sir-“

 

  
“I will not repeat myself.” The captain said with a glare. Sehun fell silent and the young soldier cast a scathing look in Yifan’s direction before he moved back into formation.

 

  
Yifan let out a sharp laugh, making Baekhyun look at him like he was crazy while the soldiers appeared to be somewhat miffed.

 

“Having trouble keeping your lapdogs in place, Zitao?”

 

  
Tao appeared calm, but his smile was sharp and brittle as he dismounted and walked to Yifan, his hand reaching to his waist while maintain eye contact. “It is not of your concern, though _this-”_ Tao pulled out a scroll from the sash tied around his waist and handed it to Yifan with a cold gaze. “-Is of importance to you.”

 

  
Yifan took the scroll, raising a brow at the official crest stamped on it. “Delivering the Emperor’s mail, Zitao?”

 

  
Tao stiffened and Yifan saw his hand twitch toward his sword before he let out a small growl and clenched his hand into a fist. “Well, being an official envoy captain is still far more _lucrative_ than toiling away in the dirt like an animal.”

 

  
“Speaking of animals, doesn’t running in circles at the beck and call of a master something only a dog does?” Yifan scoffed and placed the scroll on the inside of his robe, the rough linen brushing against his knuckles with the movement.

 

  
Sehun let out a growl and he made another movement toward Yifan, but he was held back by other officers. Tao only curled his lip in a sneer and spat at Yifan’s feet. “Better a dog than a traitor.” With that, he spun on his heel, his purple robe swishing with the movement and flashing a burst of silver thread as he mounted his horse again and threw Yifan one last look of contempt. “I hope this is the last time we meet on these terms. You would look better hanging by the neck.”

 

  
Yifan watched as they rode off, disappearing over the hill again. ‘ _Zitao, he’s changed a lot.’_ He thought with a grim expression on his face, memories of a bright eyed boy fading into the scowling countenance of a young captain.

 

  
“Well that was severely unpleasant.” Baekhyun interjected, startling Yifan a bit with how loud his voice was in the early dawn.

 

  
Heaving a sigh, Yifan decided that he’d read the scroll later and get back to the matter at hand. With that plan in mind, Yifan crouched back down at his desecrated chicken coup and went back to inspecting the dirt.  
Baekhyun looked at him in confusion. “Aren’t you going to see what the scroll says?”

 

  
Yifan sighed again and looked up a Baekhyun with a serious expression on his face. “I can’t read.” Once the surprise and disbelief was registered on Baekhyun’s face, Yifan let out a chuckle and went back to inspecting the claw marks left in the dirt.

 

  
“Yah! That’s a lie there’s no way imperial soldiers would go through the trouble of delivering a scroll to an illiterate peasant-! Hey, are you listening to me?”

 

 

  
-✿❀✿-

 

 

  
Yifan let out a yawn as he flopped down in bed, not bothering to change his day clothes, even though he was covered in dirt and sweat and aching to take a bath. The sound of crickets reached his ears from outside, the late summer heat making his small home humid and uncomfortable. An owl hooted as Yifan mustered up the energy to shift onto his back. The thatch ceiling came into view, along with the wooden support beams of Yifan’s handmade dwelling.

 

_‘I should catch that bastard now.’_ Yifan thought in satisfaction, the slight ache in his muscles a small price to pay in exchange for catching the fox that was messing with his livestock.

 

  
It had started in the beginning of spring. Yifan would wake up every morning to a hole dug under his chicken coop, a few hens missing from the flock. It pissed him off to no end that the sneaky fox had evaded him for months and over time the smug bastard began stealing other things from his garden. But at the end of this storm, Yifan had had enough. He had set up a trap earlier that day (after chasing Baekhyun back to the village), but this was different. Instead of his usual simple traps, Yifan decided to use an elaborate set up that he had to use when he was a soldier, it was usually implemented to catch criminals, but it should still apply to a fox.

 

  
‘ _At least my skills are useful off the battlefield…_ ’ Yifan thought with sarcasm dripping from every word. He hated bringing up his past, but it was unavoidable at times. Though that didn’t stop Yifan from living like a hermit up in the Mountain of Abundance and avoiding all human interaction. He was isolated and the superstitious villagers (aside from Baekhyun, but then again, he was the exception to many things) never dared to set foot on the mountain, much less bother Yifan.

 

  
‘ _Ah, while on the topic_ -’ Yifan fished around his shirt and pulled out the scroll that was delivered to him that morning. _‘I wonder what the benevolent Emperor has to say to me…’_  
Yifan sat up and broke the seal on the scroll, the expensive wax easily crumpling away. He unraveled the fine paper and had to squint to see the characters in the dim lighting, his single candle barely providing enough light to illuminate the room.

 

  
_Wu Yifan, as an ex-soldier, you may not have the best perception of the Imperial army. However, I implore you to fulfill a request for your once good friend._

_I have recently received reports of a man who lives in the Mountain of Abundance, I knew it had to be you. No one other than yourself would have ever dared to set foot in the mountains, and I would like you to bring a certain creature to me. It may be just an outrageous story, yet there is some truth held in the eyes of those who have seen this creature._

_I would like you to either prove it real and bring it back to me, or soothe the villager’s minds around the base of the mountain by proving the creature to be nothing more than a story. In exchange, you will be officially discharged from your duties and be left to live in peace._

  
_Yifan, I ask this of you not as your Emperor, but as your old friend._

  
_Sincerely,_   
_Kim Junmyeon_

 

Yifan cursed and hastily folded up the scroll, throwing it onto his small table. “Bastard, always asking for things when he could just order me to do his bidding.” He said with no real spite in his voice.

 

The Emperor was a young man who inherited the title of power from his father when he died, leaving an adolescent king to rule a country. Yifan met Junmyeon in his youth as a young recruit working in the imperial army as a guard. His skill with his sword and his age had alienated Yifan from the other guards, though he found one person who voluntarily sought his company. At first Yifan didn’t know who the boy was, but when he was promoted to the elite guard, he found that he had to protect his new friend on a daily basis. Their partnership worked well for many years, at least until Yifan left the Imperial guard and disappeared.

 

  
“But as least, it seems that I’ll finally have my freedom.” Yifan said aloud, contemplating taking the offer. In the country, there were numerous stories of nine-tailed fox creatures that roamed the Mountain of Abundance, feeding from the food and game of the lush land. Of course, the misty mountain was off limits to humans, and aside from poachers and desperate hunters, everyone abided by this rule.

 

  
When Yifan first arrived at the village, a few of the older men were speaking about a hunting trip that went horribly wrong a few decades ago. Yifan recalled getting a table and renting a room at the inn, but as a curious newcomer, he sat near the men and listened to their conversation while drinking the bitter tea provided by the old hostess.

  
_“I swear, there was this creature, it looked like a fox, but it was silver and it was easily the size of an imperial horse!”_ A young man sitting with them scoffed, but another man nodded gravely.

 

  
_“I remember that, the beast killed Shin and it gave me this scar.”_ The grizzle man then lifted his shirt and the young man gaped at the scar spanning the entire length of his torso, starting from his right shoulder and fading into the left side of his hip. “ _I almost died that day, but thankfully my good friend here-”_ The man dropped his shirt and smacked the back of the first man. “ _-Managed to give the creature a crippling blow before it ran off.”_

 

  
“ _Wait, this creature….was it a Gumiho?”_ The young man asked, the last word spoken in a hushed whisper, but despite that, everyone in the room stiffened and some of the old women in the inn began muttering prayers under their breath, holding jade amulets close to their hearts.

 

  
“ _Shhh!”_ The scarred man interrupted, hushing the young man before he cast his eyes around the room. Yifan caught his eyes for a moment. “ _You must never say their names! Doing so brings back luck, didn’t your mother teach you this, boy?_ ”

 

  
Abashed, the young man bowed his head and muttered a small apology. Even mentioning the creature in the village was a taboo. Eventually the people in the inn unfroze and began small, polite conversation with each other. Tired and bored now that everyone was avoiding the topic of giant foxes, Yifan left a few gold pieces on the table and made his way to the room for the night.

 

 

  
_‘Aish! Everyone around here is too superstitious for their own good!’_ Yifan thought in irritation as he blew out his candle and lay down in his bed. ‘ _They even have the Emperor believing in fairytales.’_

 

 

  
-✿❀✿-

 

 

  
The next morning, Yifan could feel that something had happened. It was in the air and the ex-soldier jumped up in excitement. “The trap!” He yelled as he grabbed his shirt off the floor and slipped it on while running outside.

 

  
The sky was dark and cloudy, the remnants of yesterday’s storm lingering in the form of a light sprinkle of rain. Yifan ignored the warm droplets of water and rushed to the edge of the forest, his chicken coup having been built quite a ways from his home, along with his sheep and cattle pens. It kept the smell of the animals away, but it probably wasn’t a good idea in hindsight because there were stray mountain lions, wolves, and apparently foxes around.

 

  
The small hill separating the pathway to his home came into view and Yifan quickened his pace, nearly running to see if his trap actually worked. But as soon as the newly built chicken coup came in sight, Yifan froze in his tracks and his thoughts all centered on one question. _‘Is this a Gumiho!?’_

 

  
Trapped within the suspended cage above the coup was a young man, his skin glinting a golden brown color in the low light of the dawn, the misty rain making his black hair plater to his forehead. It would be shocking for anyone to see a human caught in a cage meant for an animal, but Yifan had never seen a human with fox ears on his head and a tail sprouting from the base of his spine.

 

  
Yifan slowly walked closer, his hand unconsciously drifting to his side, but he cursed when his sword was not there. ‘ _Damn, why do I keep forgetting to arm myself!?’_ He thought in irritation, deciding to continue ahead and use his fists if the fox tried anything. Not that he could, considering that he was trapped in cage and suspended in a tree four feet off the ground.

 

  
Yifan stepped on a twig and it snapped, making the fox boy lift his head and whirl to face the approaching man in alarm. ‘ _Shit!_ ’ Yifan cursed. He spent ten years in the Imperial Guard and he had been hunting since he could walk, so why did he have to be clumsy now of all times?

 

  
“Stay way!” The young man shouted as his lips curled up in defensive snarl. The reddish orange ears on his head flattened and his tail bristled, the white tip whipping back and forth as he warily eyed Yifan.

 

  
‘ _Huh, he speaks_.’ Yifan thought in wonder as he slowly approached the cage. The words were spoken in a rich voice, but the words were slightly awkward and the fox spoke in broken phrases.

 

  
The boy growled low in his throat and Yifan paused, his hands lifted in front of him in a placating manner. “Calm down, I won’t hurt you.” He said, hoping that the wild boy would understand what he was saying.

 

  
The fox tilted his head slightly and he stopped growling, though he was still tense as Yifan approached him.

 

  
‘ _Beautiful…_ ’ Yifan couldn’t help but think as he finally got close enough to study the features of the fox boy. He had large chocolate colored eyes, high cheekbones, and plush red lips. He still had some baby fat on his cheeks and paired with his wide nose, Yifan though that he was cute, though his features hinted at sensual undertones. Yifan could imagine the boy’s feature’s becoming more defined with age, his jawline sharpening and his cheeks smoothing out.

 

The boy looked a bit young, though.

 

  
One fox ear twitched and the boy’s nose twitched as he studied Yifan with suspicious eyes. “Hunter?” He asked, his mouth struggling to form words that felt uncomfortable on his tongue.

 

  
Yifan caught himself staring at the boy’s lips and he cleared his throat before he met his eyes and spoke slowly, his words clear and enunciated. “No, I am a farmer.” It took a while for the boy to catch the meaning of his words, his eyes glued to Yifan’s lips as he spoke, making the older man fight off a blush. Though he still felt flustered, the only other person he’d been around the past three years was Baekhyun. “Are you a fox?” Yifan asked once he made sure the fox knew that he wouldn’t hurt him.

 

  
The boy quickly shook his head. “No fox, Kai.” He then pointed to himself and looked at Yifan with a look in his eyes that was a little sad. “Kai.”

 

  
Yifan smiled a bit and nodded his head. “Kai,” he repeated, making the fox nod and smile a bit uncertainly. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Yifan said with an exaggerated bow, almost falling over into the mud when he leaned too far. He quickly righted himself and flushed a bit when he saw the fox boy laughing. ‘ _Aish, I’m acting like an idiot!’_ He thought in embarrassment, though as he watched Kai smile, he found that he didn’t mind too much.

 

  
“Funy.” Kai said, his eyes taking on an almost golden hue with amusement. Yifan unconsciously smiled back and chuckled a little.

 

  
A creaking noise reached Yifan’s ears and the farmer looked up in surprise only to see the branch that supported the cage was swaying dangerously. Yifan was grateful that the rain had stopped a while ago, but he was now regretting suspending his trap on a weak limb of the tree over his chicken coup. Though to be fair, he wasn’t expecting to catch anything larger than a simple fox.

 

  
The branch let out another creak and the cage dropped a foot closer to the ground. Kai let out a yelp when he was jostled, his head hitting the edge of the cage. “No fall!” he said, looking at Yifan with wide scared eyes.

 

  
“It’s okay! I’ll let you out.” Yifan quickly strode forward and used both hands to work on the latch holding the bottom of the cage shut. The branch let out another dangerous creak and Kai let out another whimper. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.” Yifan said, hoping that his voice would calm Kai, though the fox was too busy looking up at the breaking branch above him.

 

  
‘ _Damn, it’s stuck!_ ’ Yifan thought in frustration as he used his teeth to try and chew through the leather sewn latch. The cage swayed and fell another inch. ‘ _Almost there-‘_

 

  
The branch broke and the cage slipped from Yifan’s hands, though he quickly wrenched the door open and yanked Kai out before the heavy wooden contraption fell to the ground with a loud clatter.

 

  
The wind was knocked out of Yifan as a solid weight landed on his chest. He fell on the ground and held has arms over Kai protectively when the cage crashed to the ground.

 

A groan reached his ears and Yifan coughed lightly as he opened his eyes.

 

  
Deep pools of brown met his eyes and Yifan couldn’t stop his blush this time when he noticed that Kai was already sitting up, straddling his waist and looking at him in worry. “Human hurt?” Kai asked, leaning his face closer to Yifan’s while his hands roamed the expanse of his chest in search of wounds.

 

  
“Ah, hey! Stop touching-” Kai’s hand brushed past Yifan’s crotch and he quickly pushed the fox away and stood up.

 

  
Kai fell over and he looked up at Yifan in surprise, his eyes swirling in confusion. “Human?”

 

  
Yifan fought to keep his flush down as he nervously adjusted his clothing. He was covered in mud, and now Kai was as well, though his thread bare clothes were looking a little worse for wear. He would need a change of clothes and a bath-

 

  
Yifan shook off the thought of Kai in a bath and avoided the bewildered fox’s eyes as he fiddled with the tie on his pants. “It’s not _‘Human,’_ I’m Yifan.”

 

  
Kai tilted his head and frowned lightly as he tried to pronounce the new word. “Wu Fan?” He asked with his eyes looking up at Yifan with pride. “Wufan!”

 

  
Yifan shook his head quickly and leaned down to help Kai up. “No, it’s _Yi Fan_.”

 

  
Kai lifted his arms and let Yifan help him up, though he looked a little put out by the mud caked onto his clothes. “Wufan, Kai dirty.”

 

  
“Yifan.” He corrected, making Kai scrunch his nose and shake his head.

 

  
_“No,_ Wufan.” He said firmly as he looked at Yifan defiantly. The human let out a little huff and decided to drop the matter for a moment.

 

  
“Fine, call me Wufan.” He said with a roll of his eyes. Kai lit up and Yifan couldn’t help but smile at how cute he looked. His eyes were soon drawn to his dirty clothes though, the muddy fabric clinging to Kai‘s legs. He quickly looked away again. “Come with me, Kai.” He ordered, gesturing for the boy to follow him.

 

  
Kai looked curious as he followed him, stepping in the exact steps that Yifan left behind, though it was a little difficult to do because Yifan was much taller and had a longer pace than Kai.

 

“Wufan!” Kai shouted after the man made it over a small hill, disappearing from his line of sight.

 

  
Yifan stopped from his place over the hill and sighed before he turned around and made his way back toward Kai. The fox was wobbling in place, his feet spread far as he tried to stay within Yifan’s footprints. At the sound of the farmer’s footsteps, his ears twitched and he looked up, his tail twitching as he struggled to maintain balance. “Wufan, Help!” He chirped, looking back down at his feet when they slid a bit in the mud.

 

  
Yifan let out a laugh and walked toward Kai. Once close, he grabbed Kai’s hand and pulled him into his chest before he steadied him and pulled him along the path to his home. “It would’ve been easier if you just followed me!”

 

  
Kai gripped his hand tighter and replied with a confused murmur. “Kai follow!”

 

  
Yifan smiled fondly at the answer and decided that he’d try explaining things later. But as soon as he came in sight of his home, he paused in alarm. A familiar figure was lounging on the small front porch, the wooden chair Yifan placed there tipped back and leaned against the wall of the home.

 

  
“Shit, it’s Baekhyun.” As soon as the words were uttered, almost as if he heard him, Baekhyun looked up and spotted Yifan. His eyes lit up, but then they fell onto the smaller form of Kai and his lips parted in surprise.

 

  
“ _Kai?_ ”

 

 

 


	2. Chapter Two

 

“Beak-hyun!” Kai called in excitement, leaving Yifan’s side and bounding up to the petite male standing in front of Yifan’s home.

 

  
Baekhyun gave the fox a distracted smile and opened his arms to catch him.

 

  
Yifan blinked and he regarded Baekhyun with suspicion. “You know each other?”

 

  
Kai nuzzled into Baekhyun, nosing along the column of his neck and rubbing his head under his chin. Yifan tried to suppress the urge to yank Kai away from Baekhyun and growl at the other male.

 

  
Baekhyun smiled at him nervously, almost as if he could sense the other man’s thoughts. “Why don’t we talk more inside? I’m sure the rain is bound to come back soon.” At his words, thunder roared and crashed in the distance, making Kai startle and yelp.

 

  
Yifan frowned at the fox’s hunched form in Baekhyun’s arms and he wordlessly brushed past them, leaving the door open behind him in obvious invitation. He heard muffled footsteps follow him, a slight halt by the door where Baekhyun kicked off his shoes and helped clean Kai’s bare feet a bit before they entered the small house.

 

  
Yifan vaguely gestured to the lone table, moving across the single room house to get another chair. The furniture was all hand-made and Yifan was glad to see that it was all holding up well, despite having been worn in from use for a few years.

 

  
Placing the chair opposite from Baekhyun, Yifan sat down and leaned back, crossing his arms as he stared the smaller male down. “Now, you mind telling me how you know the Gumiho that’s been eating my chickens and stealing my food?”

 

  
Baekhyun snorted and pet Kai’s head when the fox wriggled around in his lap. “No tea or snacks for your esteemed guests?” He asked with a teasing lilt to his voice. Kai lifted his head at the familiar word, his ear twitching and his face lighting up with a warm glow as he looked at Yifan with hope in his eyes. “Snack?”

 

  
 _“No.”_ Yifan replied in irritation, making Kai shrink back into Baekhyun and give Yifan cautious looks. Ignoring the small pang of guilt he felt, he turned his attention back to Baekhyun. “Now, tell me what’s going on.”

 

Baekhyun sighed and softly pet Kai’s hair, rubbing the tip of his reddish orange ears between his thumb and forefinger. Kai made an affronted noise and smacked his hand away, glaring up at Baekhyun before he sniffed and snuggled back into the crook of his neck. Baekhyun chuckled and Yifan felt himself frowning when he noticed the way they interacted, it was with an ease and sense of affection that ran deeper than mere acquaintances.

 

  
Baekhyun finally sighed and looked at Yifan with a seriousness that usually wasn’t associated with his personality. “Fine. But if I tell you,” Baekhyun looked at Kai and the fox hummed softly as he closed his eyes and leaned into the older male. “You have to promise me that you won’t hurt Kai.”

 

  
Yifan blinked in surprise and before he opened his mouth to protest, Baekhyun cut him off with a stern look.

 

  
“Yifan, I know that you have some secrets that you have never told me, even if we have known one another for a while.” Baekhyun gently rocked Kai in his arms and the fox relaxed even further in his arms. “Hell, I even have a few secrets of my own, but all I ask is that you don’t hurt him.”

 

  
Yifan looked at the sleepy fox and felt his heart clench a bit at the sight of the innocent eyes blinking back at him. “I promise not to hurt him.” Yifan found himself saying, the deal with the Emperor forgotten for the moment.

 

  
Baekhyun silently eyed him before he finally nodded and began speaking in a low, lulling tone. “I was born in the village here, you know. I’ve never had the chance to leave or really travel anywhere, but I didn’t mind. I love it here, this is my home.” Yifan nodded and watched as Baekhyun’s eyes became misted and lost in memories.

 

  
“My family was never really big, my mother died after giving birth to my younger sister and my father soon left to follow her. It was hard for a while, but everyone in the village helped raise my sister and I. I was content to live here, surrounded by the familiarity and comfort of everyone, but Le- my sister.” Baekhyun corrected himself quickly. Yifan found it a little strange that he wouldn’t speak her name, but he just assumed that Baekhyun was still stricken with grief.

 

  
“She couldn’t wait to leave the village. In fact, she even started packing her things, but I convinced her to stay, time and again.” Baekhyun blinked away the sudden tear welling in his eyes. He laughed a bit and then he looked down at the sleeping fox in his arms with a more than fond look-

 

Yifan could see the blatantly obvious love in his eyes. It made him uncomfortable and the ex-soldier shifted in his seat.

 

  
“But, what I didn’t know at the time was that even though she stayed with me, she was sneaking off into the mountains.” Yifan wasn’t too surprised at this, Baekhyun visited him often enough for him to forget that the villagers were not allowed in the mountain he lived on. “At the time I was still young, and I followed the village rules, so image my surprise when I followed her one day and she walked straight into the forbidden mountains!” Baekhyun sighed in exasperation and shook his head. “I thought that was the worst of it, but it soon became apparent that she was waiting for someone.”

 

“Waiting for someone?” Yifan asked. As far as he knew, no one else was living on the mountain when he moved here a few years ago.

 

  
Baekhyun nodded. “Yes. I started following her every day, but it was only during the new moon that a man appeared.”

 

  
“Why only during the new-” Yifan started to ask, but Baekhyun shushed him and glanced meaningfully at Kai, who stirred lightly in his arms. Baekhyun started humming and rocking a bit and the fox soon fell asleep again.

 

  
“I didn’t know why he would meet my sister at certain times. Back then, I thought he was just some random vagrant who lived in the mountains. But when I confronted them, he bared his teeth at me and _growled.”_

 

Baekhyun had an unreadable expression on his face as he continued speaking. “My sister stopped him and she introduced us, but I was suspicious. He was a handsome man, too handsome, and his hair was silver. His appearance startled me and I asked my sister question after question until she crumbled and told me everything.”

 

  
Yifan’s attention was drawn outside where the sound of more thunder could be heard. The sun would have been bearing down on the earth in strong, late morning rays, but it was blocked by a thick blanket of clouds. He briefly considered lighting a candle, just to have a cheery glow in the room, but Baekhyun began speaking again.

 

  
“The man was someone named Yixing, and he was the feared Gumiho of the Mountain of Abundance. He is also Jong- _Kai’s_ father.” Baekhyun corrected himself again and Yifan wondered if he had a specific reason for obscuring names. "Then he and my sister gave me my nephew a year later."

 

‘ _Maybe I’ll get him to tell me the reason for that later…_ ’ Yifan thought to himself before he considered Baekhyun’s words. He couldn’t really tell that they were related, but now the reason for their closeness made him relax slightly and uncross his arms.

 

  
“Well, that explains most everything, but why has Kai been stealing from me?” Yifan asked, deciding to inquire about Kai’s mother and father in detail at another time. Preferably when Kai wasn’t around.

 

  
At Baekhyun’s sheepish expression, Yifan frowned and said in a disapproving tone, “And why did you play along with him? You could have saved me the trouble of rebuilding my chicken coup _and_ replanting my garden- _twice!”_

 

  
“Ah, about that…” Baekhyun looked embarrassed and exasperated as he looked at the sleeping fox in his arms. Kai’s eyelids fluttered and he let out a small growl while his tail twitched.

 

‘ _He’s probably hunting in his sleep._ ’ Yifan thought with a reluctant smile tugging on the end of his mouth, he had a feeling that Kai immensely enjoyed stealing and chasing his chickens. Even if it did cost Yifan a few precious gold pieces in the process (he had a feeling the local farmer ripped him off).

 

  
“You see,” Baekhyun’s voice drew Yifan’s attention away from Kai and the soldier quickly felt his amusement fade away. “I can’t necessarily raise Kai in the village because-” The petite male vaguely gestured to Kai’s ears and tail. “And I would probably kill anyone who hurt him,” Yifan scoffed, but Baekhyun glared at him and squeezed the fox closer to his chest. “I would!” he said indignantly, his affronted expression making Yifan laugh.

 

  
“Alright, alright! I believe you. Now you were saying…?”

 

  
“I built him a small home here in the mountains, just in the woods behind the area where you keep your livestock.” Baekhyun huffed. “He must have noticed the animals and taken a liking to them. He’s usually gentle and content with human food, but there’s something about chickens…”

 

  
“He was living so close the entire time!?” Yifan blinked in surprise, ignoring the rest of the information. He focused on the fact that Kai was living next to him and he was completely oblivious. He was sure that he had explored every inch of the area surrounding his home. “How did I not notice!?”

 

  
Baekhyun snickered and Yifan could easily imagine him as a mischievous gumiho. “I have my ways.” He simply answered, much to Yifan’s disappointment.

 

  
 _“Fine._ Keep your secrets.” Yifan sulked.

 

  
“You haven’t told me the reason you’re here Yifan, need I remind you that you’re keeping secrets as well?” Baekhyun asked.

 

  
Yifan shut his mouth immediately and the previous aura of playfulness seeped away. He debated telling Baekhyun the reason why he was acting as a recluse, instead of living in the capitol with the Emperor as his body guard. ‘ _Can I trust him?_ ’ Yifan asked himself, his expression falling into one of pensiveness as he eyed Baekhyun critically. The smaller male met his eyes head on and didn’t flinch away, nor did he pry any further. Yifan analyzed everything he knew about Baekhyun, but he stopped once his eyes landed on the innocent sleeping form of Kai. The fox’s ears were still and his tail was wrapped around Baekhyun’s wrist. ‘ _He trusted me with his secrets. I suppose I could return the favor.’_

 

  
“I was born in a small village like this one, on the other side of the country.” Yifan began, surprising Baekhyun with his soft tone and almost wistful expression. “I was the trouble maker of the family and my older brothers had a hard time raising me.” Yifan smiled and let out a small chuckle as he recalled the one time he was scolded and for setting off the village bells and claiming that he saw a wolf. “Life was good and simple.”

 

  
“But-” Baekhyun stayed quiet and watched as Yifan’s expression darkened and his eyes grew furious.

 

“The Imperial army marched in at the late emperor’s orders and began forcefully recruiting every young man of age in the village.” Yifan trembled with rage as he remembered the way his father was treated, even though he was a veteran who fought in battle for their country’s honor and deserved respect. “They took my brothers and I, and when my father protested, they beat him down and left him laying still in the dust like common _trash!”_ Yifan shouted the last part and slammed his fist on the table, startling Baekhyun and waking Kai up.

 

  
Groggily, Kai rubbed his eyes and looked around with a confused expression on his face. “…Wufan?” He asked, spotting the human sitting across from him. Yifan didn’t react to Kai’s curious probing, but he did slowly unclench his fist and reign in his rage. _‘I guess I can hold grudges longer than I thought_.’

 

  
Baekhyun eyed Yifan warily, but he reluctantly allowed Kai to slip from his hold and silently pad to Yifan. “Wufan.” The older man startled when Kai called him and seemed surprised that the fox was now standing by his side.

 

Letting out a wide yawn that made his eyes water, Kai gave Yifan an expectant look. “Open.” He demanded, pushing Yifan back into his seat and moving his arm before he plopped down in the older male’s lap and snuggled into his chest.

 

  
“Hey-!” Yifan began to protest, but Kai butted his head against his chin and sent him a glare.

 

“SHH!” He reprimanded with a slim finger held against his plush lips, copying what Baekhyun did when he wanted Kai to be quiet.

 

  
Yifan promptly shut up and Kai let out a satisfied hum as he grabbed Yifan’s limp arm and draped it over his shoulders like a blanket. Helpless, Yifan let his arms instinctively move to hold the fox before he sent a pleading look at Baekhyun.

 

  
Baekhyun smirked at him. “Don’t drop him, _Wufan.”_

 

  
“Yifan!” He corrected out of irritation, his hold on Kai loosening as he became distracted. Baekhyun sent him a smug look and Yifan gave up. _‘I was wrong, they are definitely related.’_

 

  
Kai growled and used his sharp teeth to nip at Yifan’s collar bone. “Wufan, stay!” He ordered, glaring up at the human when he yelped and looked down at the fox in his arms.

 

  
“Aish! You two are insufferable and bossy!” He complained, but he complied with Kai’s demands and tried to stay as still as possible. He ignored the tiny part of him that cooed and melted when Kai gave him a pleased smile and nuzzled his neck as he curled up in Yifan’s hold and tried to take another nap.

 

  
“It runs in the family, so get used to it.” Baekhyun replied and gave an unrestrained laugh.

 

  
“Quiet, do you want to know why I’m here or not?” Yifan snipped, making Baekhyun fall silent and look at him expectantly.

 

“Please _do_ continue.” Baekhyun said in a serious tone, though Yifan chose to ignore the teasing light in his eyes.

 

  
“Anyway, I was separated from my family soon after. My brothers were sent to different parts of the country to serve the Emperor in the Imperial army, while I was sent to the capitol to train. I rose up in ranks and later…retired.” Kai squirmed in his hold and Yifan fell silent while waiting for the fox to get comfortable. He once again ignored the tiny part of him that felt complete with the warm weight in his hold, his arms naturally curving around Kai’s waist and his chin resting perfectly at the crown of his head.

 

He pulled back and observed Kai for a moment and he noticed that his ears looked as soft and shiny the black hair on top of his head matching the tips of his reddish orange ears.

 

  
Curiously, Yifan lifted a hand off Kai’s waist and gently rubbed the base of his fox ear, letting his thumb move up to slowly play with the tuft of black fur at the tip of his ear. Kai stilled in his hold, but he soon relaxed and he practically melted into Yifan’s arms with a contented purr.

 

  
 _“Hey!_ Stop getting so handsy with my nephew you pervert!” Baekhyun interrupted with a loud shout, startling both Yifan and Kai. He was actually a little jealous that Kai was actually letting Yifan pet his ears, Kai hated it whenever Baekhyun attempted to do the same.

 

  
“I’m not a pervert!” Yifan protested, letting go of Kai’s ear quickly, much to the fox’s displeasure. He fought to keep a flush off his face, but judging from the look on Baekhyun’s face and his narrowed eyes, he failed.

 

  
“Says the thirty-something year old man touching my innocent fifteen year old nephew!” Baekhyun replied, his arms crossing across his chest as he eyed Yifan suspiciously. “Wait, how old are you really? What’s your occupation? How much do you make? Are your intentions toward my Kai pure or-”

 

  
“Baekhyun! It was just…petting! I’m not trying to court him!” Yifan protested loudly, jostling Kai with his movements. He could feel the flush on his face creep down his neck and he felt the need to bury himself six feet under the ground and never see the light of day again. It didn’t help that Kai was now grabbing his hand and placing it near his ears while whining and pawing at his chest, his squirming not entirely unwelcome in his lap-

 

  
Baekhyun glared harder at him and he stood up to scoop Kai into his arms, glancing pointedly at his crotch once he did so. _“Pervert!”_ He hissed, making Yifan flush more and try to stutter excuses that wouldn’t make him seem any guiltier than he already was.

 

  
“I’m not! I swear! Baekhyun, what are you-” Yifan stood up while Baekhyun clutched a confused Kai to his chest and backed away, acting as if the ex-soldier were some sort of dangerous criminal.

 

  
“Back beast, we don’t trust you!” He replied, protectively holding his arms over Kai’s form. Baekhyun wished he had a sheet or something, he was absolutely sure that Yifan was looking at Kai like he was some piece of meat-

 

  
“Wufan!” Kai interrupted, wriggling out of his uncle’s hold and pouncing on the human again. Yifan grunted and caught him, but they still ended up tumbling backward with Kai now straddling his hips.

 

  
“Wufan, touch Kai!” He demanded as he leaned his head down and pressed his face closer to Yifan’s, their noses almost touching, while his other hand grabbed Yifan’s arm and moved it toward his body.

 

  
“NO TOUCHING!” Baekhyun yelled with a completely scandalized expression on his face. Yifan found it a little unfair that the village playboy was so protective of his nephew’s innocence. If anything, Yifan should be worried that Baekhyun would do something to the innocent fox.

 

  
“YIFAN, YOU DIRTY-!” As Baekhyun rushed to protect Kai, he tripped over an uneven floorboard in the handmade house and he ended up shoving Kai forward.

 

  
Yifan only had time to register wide brown eyes flying open in surprise before he felt lips collide with his own in an accidental kiss.

 

Kai looked curiously at Yifan and moved his mouth against the older man’s lips, parting them while unconsciously licking his lips- only Kai was still connected with Yifan and the innocent fox ended up licking into Yifan’s mouth.

 

  
Yifan nearly blacked out and despite the tingles running up and down his body, he jerked away from Kai and flushed a bright red. Kai looked at him in bewilderment and licked his lips again, tasting Yifan against his tongue.

 

  
Baekhyun screeched and Yifan saw complete rage in his eyes.

 

  
 _‘I’m going to hell.’_ Yifan thought in despair.

 

 

 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

 

 

Dinner that night was eventful, to say the least. Yifan had finally managed to calm Baekhyun down with promises that he’d never do anything to hurt Kai. However, it was most likely the loud grumbling of Kai’s stomach and his small whines that finally convinced the petite man to let go of the fox and allow Yifan to cook something for them to eat. Out of all three bachelors, Yifan was probably the most equipped to handle making dinner without eating it raw (Kai) or setting it on fire (Baekhyun).

  
But even with the knowledge that his home was safe if Yifan did the cooking, he still found himself worrying as he and Baekhyun ran around in the forest calling out for Kai. Yifan still didn’t quite understand what it was about their conversation that set the fox off, but he sat up suddenly from his perch on Yifan’s lap.

 

_“…Dinner?” Kai asked softly, looking from his uncle to Yifan before his ear twitched and he slid off Yifan and ran out of the older man’s house. Yifan blinked in surprise and before he could even register the newfound cold on his lap, Baekhyun jumped up and ran after the fox._

  
_“KAI!! Come back!!” He shouted, and Yifan cursed as he got up and began to help search for the boy._

 

Now it was nearing dark and Yifan wished he had the foresight to bring a candle with him. Lighting flashed in the distance and the ex-soldier hoped it wouldn’t rain as heavy as it did the day before, he wasn’t keen on looking for a fox in a forest while being drenched in ice cold water.

  
Yifan heard panting and rushed steps and he looked up from his crouched position, expecting to see Baekhyun right before the man burst through a thorny bush with a loud curse.

  
“OW! Fuck-” Baekhyun tumbled to the ground in front of Yifan and he sat up with a wince on his face, using his hands to rake through his messy hair and pull out various twigs and leaves. Scratches were on his cheeks as well as a smudge of dirt on his forehead. Yifan stared at him for a moment and wondered how someone so used to visiting the mountain could be so clumsy in the forest. The trail from the village up to Yifan’s home consisted of sharp rocks, steep hills, and a particularly vicious goat that wondered around on the mountain side.

  
Baekhyun stopped picking at his clothing when he noticed Yifan and he glared at the man as he stood up and put his hands on his hips. “What the hell are you doing, Yifan? You’re supposed to be helping me look for Kai because you chased him away!”

  
Yifan made an affronted noise at the unfounded accusation. “I did not chase him away!” Baekhyun gave him an unconvinced look and Yifan struggled to meet his eyes. He did kind of feel a little guilty that Kai ran off, though he knew that he had no real reason to feel responsible for the actions of another person.

  
“Fine, you didn’t chase him away.” Baekhyun finally relented and Yifan relaxed a bit. It seemed his words were finally getting through to the thick headed uncle-

  
“But you still could have caught him! He was sitting right in your lap and you just sat there like an idiot and let him get away! I can’t believe you, were you honestly a soldier? You act worse than Chanyeol around puppies xwhen you’re with him, I swear-”

  
“Hey!” Yifan protested, standing up quickly and trying to hide his flushed face again. “You were the one sitting by the door! You could have reached out and caught him as well, and what kind of uncle forgets where he built his nephew’s house-”

  
“Shut it dog! At least I’m actively looking for him, unlike you, who was sitting here playing in the dirt the entire time!” Baekhyun exclaimed, his foot kicking the patch of dirt that Yifan was examining.

  
Yifan gasped in horror and he rushed to shove Baekhyun away. “Careful!” He exclaimed. Baekhyun looked a bit shocked by the unexpected shove, but he quickly righted himself and scoffed at Yifan. “Oh sorry, did I ruin your little mud fort?”

  
Yifan huffed and crouched back on the ground again. “It’s not a fort! And I wasn’t playing in the dirt, I was checking the ground for tracks that your nephew might have left behind.” Yifan then moved away the miniscule bits of clumped dirt and rocks that Baekhyun had kicked over the track. A small footprint was revealed and the ex-soldier whopped in triumph and shot Baekhyun a smug look. “See?”

  
“Yes general!” Baekhyun quipped sarcastically as he gave Yifan a mock salute.

  
Yifan scoffed and inwardly cursed at Baekhyun. The other man didn’t know how to show respect for anything or anyone.

  
Another bolt of lightning, followed by the loud rumble of thunder made Baekhyun jump a little in surprise. Yifan ignored him and examined the footprint, it was around the size of Yifan’s hand and the man inwardly wondered if Kai was going to stay the same size or if he would hit his growth spurt and become bigger than Baekhyun. ‘ _It looks like he went south…_ ’ Yifan thought to himself, though he soon frowned in confusion. ‘ _The tracks should be pointing north, the direction away from my house, so why-?_ ’ Realization settled in Yifan’s mind and the male let out a surprised noise as he stood up and whirled in the direction of his house.

  
“What are you doing?” Baekhyun asked, but Yifan was already walking back to his home. “Hey, are you giving up already!?”

  
Yifan ignored the alarmed tone, but he briefly spared Baekhyun a glance. “Kai already circled back, he’s probably waiting for us.” He replied, ignoring the shocked look on Baekhyun’s face.

  
“How could you possibly know that? We were searching for him for hours!” Baekhyun asked with a slight huff to his words. The petite male cursed Yifan for having long legs and he wished that he could curl up in bed at home and sleep for a week.

  
Yifan sighed and began explaining what he found to Baekhyun. “Kai’s footprint was facing south, not north in the direction he left the house in. Obviously, he headed back while we were looking for him.”

  
Baekhyun kept quiet and sped his pace up a bit, startling Yifan when he passed the older male in a few steps. Though Yifan didn’t stay meek for long, he fastened his pace as well and he smirked at Baekhyun when he caught up to him. “Too strenuous of a walk for your old bones?” Yifan asked, delighting in the fact that Baekhyun was flushed and out of breath while Yifan was barely breaking a sweat. Being a soldier required Yifan to have substantial amounts of stamina, as did working as a farmer out in the sun all day.

  
Baekhyun scowled at him and started a light jog that gave him a head start over Yifan. “It’s not so bad. I’m surprised that a nearly forty year old man can keep up with me.”

  
Yifan started jogging as well and he gave Baekhyun an affronted glare. “I’m only Thirty-Two! You’re the one who’s almost forty!”

  
Baekhyun narrowed his eyes at Yifan and he shoved his elbow into Yifan’s rib. “I am not, you liar! And I’m only a few months older than you!”

  
Yifan grunted in pain at the blow and Baekhyun smirked in triumph. The ex-soldier then grit his teeth and broke out into a sprint, running ahead of Baekhyun. They soon broke in a completely childish race and both men knew it, yet Yifan and Baekhyun had too much pride to admit that the other was faster.

  
Yifan deftly jumped over a small boulder in his path and he turned to smirk back at Baekhyun who had to slow down and run around it, but the petite male grit is teeth in determination and ran faster to catch up to Yifan. ‘ _Damn this bastard, why does Kai even bother with him!? I’m obviously more handsome!_ ’ Baekhyun thought angrily, huffing in exertion while Yifan easily sped past him again. He was used to being the only person that Kai would cling to and beg for attention. Especially when he was little and Baekhyun spent weeks at a time inside with him, reading him stories and feeding him assorted fruits.

  
Slowly Kai began to become independent, and half the time that Baekhyun now visited him, he wasn’t at home or he wouldn’t answer his uncle when he called for him. ‘ _Now my sweet, innocent nephew has been distracted by this stupid brute…_ ’ Baekhyun side eyed Yifan and he really hated the smirk on the other male’s handsome face. ‘ _Why couldn’t Kai have stayed my baby forever!?’_ Baekhyun thought in despair, already imagining his Kai leaving him for Yifan. He could already see his life as the overlooked and forgotten uncle…

  
Yifan looked to his right and was surprised to see that Baekhyun wasn’t glowering at him, instead he had a despondent look on his face and he wasn’t even paying attention to where he was going. “Hey-” Yifan began asking Baekhyun what was wrong, but he was interrupted by a sharp, stinging pain on the right side of his face.

 

“OW-!” He yelped in pain, stopping temporarily to clutch his red cheek. ‘ _The hell was that?’_

  
Baekhyun, lost in thought, continued running ahead of Yifan, but when he noticed the lack of a giant by his side he turned back to see Yifan clutching his face in pain. Confused, Baekhyun looked around and his eyes were drawn up to where a low hanging branch was swaying slightly. He looked back at Yifan’s face and he saw a bright red mark in the shape of the branch and Baekhyun burst out laughing. “HA, HA, HA! What kind of idiot runs into a tree!?”

  
In his haze of pain, Yifan looked up when he heard the sound of laughter and noticed Baekhyun almost rolling on the ground while pointing at him. “I thought you were being serious when you said you were an ex-soldier! But you let a fox outwit you multiple times and you ran into a tree, a _stationary_ tree!”

  
Yifan huffed and strode toward Baekhyun, breaking into a light jog again. “Well at least I didn’t get so lost in thought that I tripped and landed face first in the mud.” He replied, confusing Baekhyun.

  
“What the hell are you talking about?” He asked, breaking into a heavy jog just to keep up with Yifan and his stupid grasshopper legs. “ I didn’t-” Yifan gave him a devious smile as he paused slightly and leaned his foot out in front of Baekhyun. The smaller male didn’t catch the action until he stumbled over Yifan’s foot and tripped.

  
Baekhyun fell to the ground in a heap of limbs, a startled yelp leaving his mouth before it was muffled by a mouthful of dirt. “Now who is the _dirty_ old man?” Yifan yelled in triumph, skirting around Baekhyun’s fallen form and laughing manically as he ran off toward his home, eager to see Kai.

  
“YOU ASS!” Baekhyun shouted once he lifted his face off the ground and spat out the mud in his mouth. He could barely make out the farmer’s taller form in the distance, but he could tell that there was a smug smile on his face. ‘ _That’s it! I will do everything I can to keep that bastard away from Kai!’_ There was no way in hell that Baekhyun would give up his nephew to some farmer with a history of delinquency. In fact, he wasn’t going to share Kai at all.

 

 

✿❀✿

 

 

Kai hummed happily as he carefully set an armful of peaches on the table that Wufan and Bekyun were sitting in earlier. “Dinner!” He chirped happily once the luscious fruits were arranged in a perfect circle in the middle of the table. But something was missing…

  
“Food!” Kai yelled, springing away from the table and immediately running outside again. He followed the path in front of Wufan’s home and he easily cleared the small hill that the animals were kept over. A large gated area came into view, but Kai ignored the cows inside eating and he made his way eagerly to the tree sitting at the edge of the clearing.

  
The small chicken coup came into view and Kai growled playfully at the birds running around inside at the sight of him. Kai immediately latched onto the door of the coup and he poked his head inside. (Yifan hadn’t had time to rebuild the usual fence surrounding the hen house).

  
One particular saw Kai’s coppery ears and sharp teeth and immediately began squawking in alarm. All the other chickens followed suit and began scattering, but the exit to the hen house was blocked by the fox’s head.

  
“No, stay!” Kai yelled, finding that speaking human words was more interesting than telling the chickens to behave in fox. (They never did anyway, Kai’s low growls always made them more frantic).

  
Kai frowned when the chickens still kept running. It was a little hard to see, but he decided to pick the closest bird and bring it back to Wufan and Bekhyun.

  
The chicken that first sounded the alarm ran right in front of the hungry fox and Kai’s eyes took on a predatory gleam when he noticed that the bird was very fat. Preparing to pounce, Kai’s tail flicked behind him outside and he flattened his ears. He wriggled a bit and crouched low to the ground, his eyes locked onto his prey.

  
The chicken circled back in front of Kai and the fox let out a bark as he shot forward and bit the chicken lightly around the neck. The bird immediately fell limp in the jaws of its captor and Kai smiled in triumph around a mouthful of food.

  
Happy with his catch, Kai prepared to lean back out of the hen house-

  
“KAI!” Yifan shouted, making Kai’s sensitive ears flatten against his head as large hands grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

  
The ex-soldier was passing by on his way home when he saw a fox tail peeking out from the door of his chicken coup. Surprised, he walked closer and he watched Kai pounce on one of his chickens. Alarmed, Yifan grabbed Kai and shouted at him.

  
Now he had a handful of confused fox with a scared chicken clamped in his jaws. “What are you doing!?” He asked, though he had a pretty good idea what the fox had in mind for the chicken. ‘ _Wait, is that…?_ ’ The chubby chicken met Yifan’s eyes and blinked at him almost meaningfully. “Put Xiumin down now!”

  
Kai looked up at him with sad eyes and he shook his head. Yifan frowned and used his grip on Kai to shake him lightly in warning. “Let him go, Kai.” Xiumin was Yifan’s favorite chicken. He found it in a small village before he traveled to the Mountain of Abundance and he decided to keep it and name it after its late owner, who cried and begged him to take the chicken he’d raised as a chick before his grandma cooked it.

  
He later found out that the kid who sold it to him was really named Minseok and he scammed the soldier into buying it to win a bet. Never the less, Yifan couldn’t find it in his heart to kill or sell the chicken that ate more than its bodyweight in food. (The damn thing was smart too; Yifan was sure that it knew what puppy dog eyes were and knew how to use it).

  
Yifan sighed and Kai’s ear twitched at the sound. Xiumin was still sending him S.O.S. signals and Wufan decided to try a different approach with the fox.

  
“Kai, do you want something sweet?” He asked as he slowly lowered the fox, whose bare feet unfurled from his balled up position to automatically support himself.

  
Kai tilted his head and Yifan didn’t know how he did it, but he managed to look cute with a mouthful of chicken. “Shmeeth?” Kai mumbled, making Xiumin panic when the fox’s mouth moved over his neck.

  
Yifan nodded and leaned closer to Kai, his hands stretched toward his mouth in case he decided to drop Xiumin. “Yes, sweets. I’ll give you sweet food if you let go of Xiumin right now.”

  
Kai eyed Yifan’s hands and he looked like he was considering Yifan’s offer. The ex-soldier stepped closer and his hands were a mere millimeter away from Kai’s chin. The fox’s jaws relaxed and Yifan breathed a sigh of relief as he reached out to grab Xiumin. He managed to save one chicken today-

  
Kai scrunched up his nose and his eyes watered as he pulled away from Yifan, Xiumin squawking as he saw freedom be snatched away from his claws. Yifan could only watch in horror as Kai sneezed, his jaws unintentionally closing around Xiumin’s neck.

  
“NO! KAI!!”

 

 

✿❀✿

 

 

Baekhyun heaved like he was dying when he finally made it over the small hill that sat right before Yifan’s house. It was nearing late evening now and all the male wanted to do was sleep so that he could wake up the next day and wring Yifan’s neck first thing in the morning.

  
But when he re reached the doorway to Yifan’s home, he was immediately tackled to the ground with a loud yelp. “Uncle!” Kai cried, crushing Baekhyun and making the man’s heart soar in happiness.

  
“Kai!” He shouted back, hugging the fox back and squeezing tightly as he shot Yifan a smug look over Kai’s shoulder. But Yifan had a stony, slightly guilty expression on his face and Kai didn’t push Baekhyun away or call him by his first name like he usually did.

  
Worried, Baekhyun drew away from the hug and began searching Kai for any injuries, and aside from a few tears in his eyes and a small red mark o his nose, he was fine.

  
_‘Wait,’_ Baekhyun thought to himself in growing rage. “Why is Kai crying!?” He hissed at Yifan, hugging the fox closer to him and smothering him in worried touches, soft comforting words, and butterfly kisses.

  
Yifan coughed lightly and rubbed his head sheepishly. “Well, I might have hit him on the nose-”

  
“You did WHAT!?” Baekhyun screeched, red encompassing his vision as he fought to keep himself from brushing past Kai to kill Yifan.

  
“Hold on!” Yifan exclaimed, backing away from Baekhyun nervously and almost stepping on a fat chicken standing behind him. “It was because he was about to kill my chicken Xiumin and I had to punish him for it-”

  
Baekhyun sat up and loosened his hold on Kai, but the fox whined and looked up at Baekhyun with big, watery eyes. “Uncle, Wufan touch Kai!” He said with a small sniffle, his eyes crossing a little as he glanced down at his red nose. He gingerly touched it and let out a small whimper of pain that tugged on Baekhyun’s heart strings and made him fiercely protective.

  
“So Yifan.” He began, his eyes drifting away from Kai’s injured little nose to Yifan’s slightly guilty face. “You dared to injure my nephew because he wanted to eat one of your chickens?”

  
Yifan paused and he considered his answer. It would be no use lying since he already outed himself, and he couldn’t go back in time to change his story and say that Kai had tripped… The ex-soldier gulped and decided to stick with the truth. “Yes I did.”

  
Baekhyun’s eyes darkened and he glanced down at the chubby little chicken at Yifan’s feet. Xiumin stared him down and Baekhyun was sure the smug little bastard was smirking at him. Yifan stepped in front of Xiumin slowly and he gulped again when Baekhyun met his eyes. “You both better sleep with one eye open tonight.”

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

 

_Snow fell from the soft grey sky, the thick flakes swaying gently in the light breeze before it settled atop land, forming breathtaking white peaks on the tops of far off mountains. Yifan pulled the reigns on his horse and slowed to a stop. He took a deep breath and watched the fog billow from his mouth like a little cloud, making a vague shape as it disappeared in the cold morning air._

_“Master Wu, why are we stopping?” A light voice asked. Yifan didn’t have to turn around to see the confused expression on the young boy, Zitao’s face._

_A snowflake landed on Yifan’s face, nearly hitting him in the eye and he sighed as he took in the majestic view of the distant mountains, the normally grey peaks were snowcapped and the top blended into the foggy sky. “You know Zitao, once we reach the city, things will change. It will be full of selfish or desperate people, each one looking out for themselves.” Yifan stopped speaking and he swiped at the drop of water the melted snowflake left behind on his skin. “I do not wish to be involved in political ploys at the palace, but I am willing to do it for a friend. However, does being reluctant to protect someone close to me at the expense of my peace of mind make me a bad person?”_

_Zitao fell quiet and Yifan let out a mirthless chuckle. “I was planning to leave the Imperial Army, forget my name and my crimes, and live a quiet life in my birthplace, but that seems to be the opposite of what the Fate has planned for me.”_

_He didn’t expect an answer and without an explanation for his sudden melancholy, Yifan gave a tired sigh and tightened his hold on his horse’s reigns, prepared to sprint headfirst into his future, whatever it may hold._

_“…Master Wu, wanting to be in control of your own future, even against you friend’s wishes, is something that is something completely selfish.” Yifan froze and he whirled around to face Zitao with surprise evident on his face. The young black haired boy smiled sheepishly. “But it is something that I understand, and rather than viewing it as a flaw, why not look at it as a basic human desire? Something that allows you to believe that there is more to life than your duty. Hope.”_

_Yifan stayed quiet as he observed Zitao. The young boy- no man, had a serious look in his eyes, something that made him seem to possess an older soul. Yifan had found him a few years ago, a twelve year old left wandering the burning remains of his village. He was so thin and his eyes were too large for his face, though they were unbelievably hollow and empty, making him look so much like a haunted waif that some of Yifan’s accompanying men had immediately backed away and held up a few charms and amulets, praying under their breath to the gods._

_Now Zitao was nearing fifteen and over the years, Yifan had watched his face round out and then sharpen, saw his limbs become awkward and gangly, then eventually fill out and stabilize. His eyes had also lost most their wide, innocent roundness, leaving him looking much like the cat Yifan used to tease relentlessly when he was a child._

_“Master Wu?” Zitao asked and Yifan noticed that it resonated with a deeper baritone, something that had escaped Yifan’s notice over the years._

_A sudden breeze picked up, the swirls of fallen snow not yet settled rose up and whipped Zitao’s long black hair in the air like a snake. Irritated, Zitao grabbed the lose strands and began braiding it with swift and dexterous movements, finally tying off the ends with a plain ribbon pulled out of his saddle bag._

_Yifan smiled at the sight, still not knowing the reason that the boy hadn’t cut his hair, even if it was customary for military men to keep it short. They were unlike the lords in the capitol who could afford to take care of it and have it set aside neatly every day, then again they didn’t have to worry about anyone yanking on it and using it to their advantage in battle._

_Shaking off his frivolous thoughts, Yifan looked off in the distance, already seeing the signs of the capitol city at the base of the snowcapped mountains. “We should leave-” Yifan began, but he was interrupted by an arrow whistling through the air, striking his horse and making the animal rear up in fear and drop Yifan onto the ground._

_“It’s an ambush!” One of the soldiers within Yifan’s company shouted. Zitao immediately nudged his horse into a sprint as a volley of arrows rained down on the small squad of soldiers. Yifan lay stunned on the ground for a moment, but he soon rolled up and sprang into a crouch, reaching up to grab Zitao’s hand as he galloped by. “RETREAT! HEAD BACK NOW!!” Yifan shouted back to his men, the few soldiers he left the capitol with were not heavily armed and they were meant to be scouting party. Meaning they were lightly armed and helpless against an unknown number of enemies, who also happened to ambush them in a small pathway carved into a miniscule opening between the mountains surrounding the capitol._

_The Yifan held onto Zitao as the younger man directed the sprinting horse straight out of the pathway that was now a death trap. “How did they know we were here!? We left in the cover of night and only the Emperor knows of the expedition!” Zitao hissed, his words moving with wind and flitting back to Yifan’s ears._

_Yifan was surprised that they were found, but considering the fact that the palace was full of spies and people who wanted to rip the throne from the young Emperor’s hands, they should have expected nothing to stay secret for long._

_“More arrows!” Another soldier in the back shouted, warning those in the front. Yifan looked up and he paled when he saw a ray of flaming arrows, each one soaring straight and high in the sky before they slowed and began falling down to the ground, aimed at the frantically fleeing company of soldiers._

_Desperately, Yifan glanced around, but he saw nothing that could block the volley of arrows, the only thing he could do was urge Zitao to push the horse to move faster._

_Screams and shouts of horror reached Yifan’s ears, but he grit his teeth and refused to look back, knowing that if he did, he would see nothing but the dying men calling for help even as the arrows pierced their bodies and blood flowed from their wounds._

_The horse slowed for a second and Yifan saw Zitao shift, his head turning to look behind him. “Do not look back!” Yifan hissed, his hands tightening his hands on Zitao’s loose furred cloak. The young man hesitated, but he eventually listened, even as a man shouted for Yifan and made the scout leader flinch._

_The opening to the pathway came into view and Yifan and Zitao breathed a sigh of relief, but they soon froze again when a dark mass blocked the way to freedom._

_“M-master Wu, what do w-we do?” Zitao asked hesitantly, slowing the horse to a trot. Yifan looked at the black cloaked soldiers standing in front of them, their banner a fierce red silk embroidered with a golden dragon. Yifan’s gaze hardened and he heard soft panting and gasps behind him. It seemed that some managed to ride fast enough to outrun the deadly arrows, leaving behind those who weren’t as fortunate._

_The horse came to a complete standstill and Yifan slid off without thinking, his hand moving to his side and drawing his sword before his boots even touched the snow. “Now we fight.”_

✿❀✿

 

 

 

Yifan woke up with a jolt, his body moving and his fists flying at the air before he fully woke up. The darkness of the early morning met Yifan’s sight and the man sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, the locks now long enough to fall past his eyes if he didn’t push it back.

_“Grr! Xiu Xiu!”_ Kai mumbled in his sleep and Yifan froze when he felt a warm weight settled on his legs from his seated position on the floor. He flipped the covers up and saw the little fox curled up on his stomach, his arms wound around the ex-soldier’s waist and his legs tangling with Yifan’s as he slept. _‘When the hell did he get here!?’_ Yifan thought wildly as he dared to look up at his bed.

 

 

Baekhyun was sprawled all over the bed, his limbs strewn everywhere with the blanket bunched up around his ankles. The petite male snorted in his sleep and he muttered curses that sounded like they were aimed at Yifan as he turned in his sleep, slipping dangerously close to the edge of the bed.

 

 

Earlier, after they’d eaten dinner and Yifan had shooed Xiumin back to the chicken coup, Baekhyun had claimed Yifan’s bed as his own and he made Kai share it with him, leaving the ex-soldier to sleep on the floor with a sheet laid down and a thin blanket to make use of.

_“Xiu Xiu! No run!”_ Kai let out another growl, his teeth nipping at Yifan in his sleep, catching the drawstring to the man’s sleeping pants and tugging at it with a little growl.

 

 

Yifan flushed red and he quickly reached down, his hands trying to grab the string and yank it away from Kai’s little teeth. However, instead of letting go, Kai’s eyebrows furrowed and he dug his teeth into the thin string and pulled with his teeth. Yifan panicked when his pants began slipping off his hips, Kai’s little huffs of air lowering dangerously into the sensitive area beneath his belly button.

 

 

“H-hey! Kai no!” Yifan said as he used one hand to grab his pants and hold it up while the palm of his other hand shoved at Kai’s forehead. The fox growled again and he mumbled something that suspiciously sounded like _“Xiu Xiu!”_ again.

 

 

“KAI!” Yifan whispered vehemently as he tried to get Kai away from his… dragon. Kai only began chewing the string and Yifan resorted to flicking Kai on the nose again, the little red spot having faded away through the previous evening.

 

 

“Ah!” Kai yelled, his eyes flying open and his body moving back before he even fully woke up.

 

 

“Finally- _wait_ _no_!” Yifan was satisfied that he finally woke him up, yet he watched in horror as Kai reflexively yanked on the string in his mouth while he moved away from Yifan.

 

 

Kai seemed to wake up when Yifan’s pants slid down and he saw _everything_. He gaped a bit and opened his mouth to ask Yifan a question, but the ex-soldier let out a high pitched yelp and he grabbed the blanket and covered himself with it.

_‘Gods! Why did this have to happen to me!?’_ Yifan thought in utter mortification as he avoided Kai’s eyes.

 

 

A russet ear twitched and Kai’s white tipped tail swung curiously behind him. “Wufan…” Kai began, crawling toward the flushed embarrassed older man. “Have eel?” He finally asked as he pawed at Yifan’s lap, his hands trying to get past Yifan’s. “Kai touch.” He finally decided, his tail wriggling playfully behind him as he tried to make it past Yifan’s guard.

 

 

“ _What_!?” Yifan asked incredulously as he fended the playful fox off. Kai’s ears twitched and he looked up at the bed. “Oh, morning Bekhyun!”

 

 

The fox’s uncle was seated on the bed, his face clear of all sleep as he eyed the way both Yifan and Kai had their hands on the ex-soldier’s lap. His ruffled bed head looked ridiculous in the glow of the early dawn, but his glare sent shivers down Yifan’s spine.

 

 

“…What exactly are you two doing?” He asked in a low, suspicious tone.

 

 

Yifan paled and he looked at the fox who was back to pawing curiously at his lap, his hands pressing down and rubbing a bit too vigorously for so early in the morning. Feeling eyes on him, Kai looked up and eyed Yifan questioningly for a few seconds before he turned to his uncle with an excited look on his face. “Wufan have eel like this-” Kai lifted his hands in the air and spaced them a foot apart. “Bigger than Bekhyun and Kai!”

 

 

Baekhyun stared uncomprehendingly at Kai for a few seconds before his eyes darted back to the area that Yifan was holding protectively. He blinked once, then twice- “WHAT!? BIGGER THAN-”

 

 

“Rah! Found eel!” Kai chirped happily when he finally yanked the blanket out of Yifan’s hands. “Now play!” Kai added as Yifan gasped in horror and Baekhyun immediately jumped up, grabbing Kai by the back of his shirt and hauling him away from Yifan before he could grab what he’d been looking for. 

 

 

“NO! My baby, Yifan you _pervert_!” Baekhyun yelled from across the room, one hand wrapped round Kai’s eyes while his other hand covered his own eyes. “Put some damn clothes on!” Kai squirmed in Baekhyun’s arms and he tried moving his uncle’s hands to see Yifan. “No Kai, it’s too early for you to see something so _hideous_!”

 

 

Yifan’s brow ticked and he tried not to be too offended as he scrambled to pull up his pants and tie them again. Once done, Yifan wrapped the blanket around his hips as an extra precaution. “It’s safe to look now.”

 

 

Baekhyun cautiously peeked through his fingers and once he saw that Yifan was sufficiently clothed, he let Kai go. The fox blinked and he looked at Yifan in disappointment. “No play?” He asked.

 

 

Yifan flushed again at the thought of the fox ever touching him with his small hands, looking up at him with big innocent eyes and a small smile on his full lips-

 

 

“Hey! What the hell did you think you were doing to my nephew you lascivious creep! Is it a custom for soldiers to molest foxes!?” Baekhyun shouted, taking short angry steps in Yifan’s direction as Kai pouted and mumbled something under his breath.

 

 

“Baekhyun, I wasn’t doing anything! When I woke up, Kai was on top of me-” Yifan tried to defend, but Baekhyun interrupted him with a scoff.

 

 

“ _Lies_! Next you’re going to tell me that Kai undressed you!” He Yelled.

 

 

Yifan eyed Kai from out of the corner of his eyes, but the fox was busy eyeing Yifan’s wrapped crotch.

 

 

 _‘Aish, he will be the death of me!’_ Yifan thought as Baekhyun scolded him with loud shouts and Kai made a mess of his house, digging through everything curiously. Ever since he met the two, his peaceful farm life had been disrupted and he was left feeling overwhelmed.

 

 

 

✿❀✿

 

 

 

Kai hummed as he crouched in the grass, his tail lifting high over the reeds and wriggling as he eyed Xiu Xiu from across the meadow. _‘Food, food! Eat Xiu Xiu!’_ He thought in glee as Wufan the farmer, not hunter, threw chicken feed on the ground. Xiu Xiu clucked happily and strode closer to Kai’s hiding spot.

 

 

“ _Graahh_!” Kai growled as he jumped up from the grass and pounced one Xiu-

 

 

“Oh no you don’t.” ~~Wufan~~ Yifan said as he grabbed Kai around the waist before he could attack the chubby chicken. “Leave Xiumin alone Kai.”

 

 

The fox whined and he stared longingly at the chicken who clucked at him smugly and strutted away from him. “Wuuufffaaannn!!! Kai eat Xiu Xiu!”

 

 

Yifan sighed and he tightened his hold on Kai. “You can’t eat Xiumin.” Kai wriggled and Yifan felt the fox’s tail thump against his back in irritation.

 

 

Yifan was outside, needing to escape Baekhyun after having been yelled and cursed at earlier. Naturally Kai followed him and Baekhyun was left in Yifan’s home by himself, busying himself with cleaning and generally digging through Yifan’s things, as Kai had done ealier.

 

 

“Hungry! Eat Xiu Xiu!” Kai yelled, drawing Yifan’s attention back to him. The farmer sighed and he put Kai down, but before the fox could bound off after Xiumin, he grabbed the base of Kai’s tail.

 

 

“Ah! Wufan!” Kai called out, a small shudder running through his body as he became pliant in Yifan’s grip. Surprised, Yifan tightened his grip and watched as Kai fell onto his elbows, his back arched obscenely before Yifan. “W-Wufan, w-what-” He asked in confusion, looking back at Yifan in confusion, a red flush high on his cheeks and his eyes glazed over a bit. “H-hot!”

 

 

Yifan took in the sight and his mind blanked out for a second before his thoughts became plagued with very indecent images of Kai-

 

 

“HEY, NO TOUCHING!” Baekhyun yelled from Yifan’s house and the farmer flinched before he dropped Kai’s tail and scrambled away from the dazed fox. His heart almost beat out of his chest and he felt flustered for some reason. He was used to seeing Kai’s expressive face, but that expression…it was _different_.

 

 

Kai lay slumped in the grass and his chest heaved a bit before he got up and crawled to Yifan, a strange look in his eyes. “Wufan, again!” He called, his eyes dark, flush still high on his cheeks. Yifan gulped and watched as Kai’s red lips parted, his tongue darting out to the corner of his mouth, not minding when his fang nicked his tongue. “Touch Kai.”

 

 

Yifan leaned back and Kai crawled forward and he vaguely noted that Kai looked like a predator chasing prey. The normally innocent and cute fox looked sensual, with his mussed hair falling into his eyes and his wide neck shirt falling open, exposing smooth tan skin and a light flush that matched his cheeks.

 

 

Soon Kai finally reached Yifan and he suddenly changed his demeanor, letting out a happy purr as he nudged his head under Yifan’s chin, his ears brushing the underside of his jaw softly.

 

 

“Touch Kai!” He whined as he grabbed one of Yifan’s hands and placed it by his ears. Yifan’s fingers automatically curled around the silky appendages and he gave it a light rub that had Kai purring louder and nuzzling his nose into his neck. He hummed when Yifan stayed pliant and he grabbed hold of his other arm, lowering it to his swishing tail in excitement. 

 

 

Yifan’s hand twitched and thoughts of the way Kai reacted earlier flashed through his mind. “W-wait, no touching!” He parroted Baekhyun’s warning, pushing Kai away and standing up, furiously blushing and trying to hide it.

 

 

Kai flopped onto the grass without Yifan to lie on and he let out a small disgruntled noise before he rose up to his elbows and looked up at Yifan with a small pout on his lips. “ _No_ eat Xiu Xiu and _no_ touch Kai! Wufan _stupid_!” Kai complained, his large eyes narrowing and his small white fangs baring in a small snarl at Yifan. He’d bet Xiumin’s life that Kai thought he looked scary, but the effect was kind of ruined when he had a blade of grass stuck to his cheek and a smudge of dirt on his forehead.

 

 

Yifan couldn’t find it within himself to even be mildly offended at Kai’s weak threats and insults. In fact, he withheld an amused chuckle, getting over his initial shock and embarrassment at finding Kai’s weakness as he reached down to help the fox up. “Yeah, yeah, you sound like Baekhyun. Now get up.”

 

 

Kai rolled onto his back and snapped his small teeth at Yifan’s hand. He huffed and crossed his arms across his chest when Yifan dodged his teeth. “No, Wufan stupid.” Kai said, his face completely serious as he wriggled around on the ground, a relieved expression crossing his face when his tail sprang up from under him.

 

 

Yifan’s amusement faded and he sighed again. _‘Why are Baekhyun and Kai so difficult and dramatic!?’_ Yifan looked at the fox lying on the ground and his eyebrow twitched when the carefree fox trailed a butterfly with his eyes, too content ignoring Yifan to get up and chase it just yet. _‘Forget it. I’ll just feed the cows and the sheep, then-’_

_“Wu Yifan!?”_ A deep voice called out incredulously. Surprised, Yifan turned away from Kai and he noticed a stranger standing at the edge of the trail leading to his home.

 

 

Frowning, Yifan straightened to his full height and he regarded the man with a suspicious gaze. He was nearly as tall as Yifan was, though his limbs lacked the real strength and grace that Yifan as a trained fighter had. The tall man also had a headful of wild curly hair that fell into his eyes and covered the tops of his large ears. Yifan didn’t recognize him, and he opened his mouth to tell him so, completely forgetting the fact that there was a Gumiho behind him, now pretending to hunt a butterfly. “Yes, I’m Yifan. Who are you?”

 

 

The man ignored the question, but his expression completely changed to one of shock and a little bit of wonder as he looked at Kai, or more specifically, his tail. “W-what it that!?” He stuttered, his long legs easily taking him closer to Yifan and Kai.

_‘Shit!’_ Yifan thought as he whirled around in a panic. It was too late to hide Kai now that the stranger had already seen him. _‘Damn, what if he tells everyone about Kai!? We’ll be hunted down and killed like game for wild dogs!’_

 

 

Kai’s ears flicked and he stopped batting at the flying orange and black winged insect long enough to notice another giant standing next to Yifan. “Oh Wufan, human!” He said, pointing at the curly haired young man, not noticing the awed look in his eyes when he stared at his ears and tail.

 

 

“ _Kai_ , go inside now! Hide with Baekhyun and don’t come out until I say to, alright?” Yifan stated his question as a rough demand and Kai looked surprised at the level of authority dripping off the man who usually let Kai climb all over him. The ex-soldier ignored him as he turned back to the unknown stranger, his body easily moving into a familiar fighting stance. _‘I can’t erase his memory, but I can subdue him long enough to get Baekhyun and Kai out of here!’_

 

 

Yifan’s shift in demeanor had the stranger looking at him uneasily. “Umm…what are you g-going to do?” He asked, backing away from Yifan slightly as Kai listened to the ex-soldier for once and darted inside the small house, calling for Baekhyun.

 

 

Yifan ignored the stranger’s question and he mentally calculated the time and distance it would take for him to slip past the other’s guard and strike him hard enough to knock him out in one blow. Faint memories resurfaced and Yifan felt a little overwhelmed, it’d been a while since he last fought and it was not something he ever wanted to remember ever again. Taking a deep breath, Yifan cleared his mind and he focused on his target, the stranger who had seen Kai and could also potentially harm the fox and his annoying uncle. _‘It’s now or never-’_

 

 

“PARK CHANYEOL!!” A light voice called and Yifan hesitated to strike, allowing the stranger a chance to slip past him and run toward his home. Alarmed, Yifan whirled around and struck his foot out, effectively tripping the man and giving the ex-soldier a chance to settle his weight on the man’s back, his hands quickly moving to twist the stranger’s arms back over his shoulder blades. The odd angle caused the man’s right shoulder dislocate and Yifan counted the maneuver a success when a scream of pain reached his ears.

 

 

“What the hell are you doing!? Yifan get _off_ Chanyeol!” Baekhyun yelled, quickly running out of the house and pushing a surprised Yifan away from the poor boy groaning in pain on the ground.

 

 

Kai poked his head out from the safety of the house and he looked at Yifan questioningly. “Human hunter?” He asked, his head tilting to the side as his tail swiped at the now spotless floor of Yifan’s house.

 

 

Yifan didn’t answer the fox, but he stood up and dusted himself off, a scowl etched into his features as he crossed his arms and growled at Baekhyun. “Mind explaining how this, _Chanyeol_ , knows where I live and who I am, but looks as if he has never seen Kai before?”

 

 

Baekhyun at least had the decency to look a little flustered as he helped Chanyeol stand. Yifan clenched his jaw and he watched the petite male struggle a bit to hold the taller man up. “Ah well, I kind of always complain about you to him?” Baekhyun finally answered, passing Kai when he brought Chanyeol into Yifan’s house as if here were a guest.

 

 

Kai curiously eyed Chanyeol and he leaned a bit close to the curly haired brunette to take in his strange scent. The village boy stood still and calm as Kai observed him, though Yifan saw his fingers twitch when he eyed the fox’s ears. Cautiously Kai leaned closer to the man and Yifan practically saw Chanyeol’s restraint crumble before his hand shot forward and he began petting Kai’s ears and cooing at the surprised fox. “Wow, you’re so pretty! And your ears are so soft!”

 

 

Yifan saw Kai’s wide eyes and he moved to get the village boy off him, but he stopped when a brilliant smile broke out on Kai’s face and he nuzzled into Chanyeol’s hand, a loud purr and little pleased hums falling from his lips at Chanyeol’s attentive hands and breathy awed compliments.

 

 

Baekhyun laughed and he fondly patted Chanyeol’s back as he left him to his own devices and went to make tea, making use of Yifan’s home as if it were his own. “Have a seat Chanyeol, I’m sure that Kai would like to get better acquainted with you.” The normally protective uncle said politely, a complete opposite of the way he crudely ordered Yifan around.

 

 

“O-okay, let’s go beautiful!” Yifan scowled when Kai happily followed Chanyeol and made himself comfortable on his lap, soaking up all the praise and attention from the tall man with the deep voice, curly hair, and big ears.

_‘Tch! They act like he’s something special!’_ Yifan thought as he stomped his way inside his own home, intent on using his charms to win the fox back from the thieving elf man. After all, Kai was always begging _him_ for attention, wasn’t he?

 

 

“Hey you primitive bastard, take your muddy boots off at the door!” Baekhyun shouted at him angrily.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kris has decided he doesn't like Chanyeol. 
> 
> Baekhyun has decided he loathes Xiumin.

Chapter Five

 

 

Yifan was more than a little on edge. Since this Chanyeol guy appeared, Kai had been glued to his side, refusing to even spare Yifan a single glance. For some reason, it vexed the ex-soldier and he felt like smashing something in irritation.

  
"So what brings you here, Chanyeol?" Baekhyun asked as he placed Yifan's single set of decent China down onto the table. It looked like he'd made a feast for twenty while Yifan and Kai were out, and if the appreciative coos coming from Kai were any indication, then he thought the food looked plentiful as well.

  
"Ah well, I asked around a little in the village and the old man running the shop told me that you came up here to see the mountain troll." Chanyeol said and Kai squirmed in his lap, butting his head insistently under his chin until Chanyeol chuckled and began rubbing his soft ears again.

  
Yifan scowled at the fox's show of affection, but his face slipped into one of incredulity when his mind finally registered Chanyeol words. "What!? Who are you calling mountain troll, you _monkey_ look alike!" He shouted, startling Chanyeol and making Kai curl into his side even more.

  
"Yifan!" Baekhyun reprimanded, slapping the back of the older man's head and frowning at him disapprovingly. "That's not how you speak to a _guest_!"

  
Yifan grumbled as he rubbed his throbbing head, and everyone ignored his childish " _but he started it!"_

  
Chanyeol nervously cleared his throat and waved his hand at Baekhyun. "It's alright, I was being rude first." He then turned to face Yifan and he sheepishly bowed his head. "I apologize for my words, I was just repeating what everyone in the village said." Chanyeol's sincere contrite expression made Yifan calm down a bit, but when Kai huffed and grabbed the sides of Chanyeol's face to turn it toward his, his temper flared again and this time he felt like maybe killing Chanyeol.

  
Oblivious, Chanyeol blinked and opened his mouth to ask what the fox wanted, but Kai interrupted by leaning forward and placing a light kiss on the older male's nose. Shocked, Chanyeol froze, as did Yifan.

  
"Oh, he must really like you Chanyeol, he marked you," Baekhyun said and then he giggled when Chanyeol's expression became embarrassed and his face and ears turned bright red. Yifan wanted to flip the table over so that he could reach Chanyeol and wring his neck, but Kai shifted around in Chanyeol's lap and turned to face Yifan with a smug expression on his face.

  
"Kai's Fènghuáng!" He huffed and narrowed his eyes at Yifan, curling his tail around Chanyeol's waist and leaning his head back to rest in the little niche between Chanyeol's neck and shoulder. His fluffy red ears twitched under Chanyeol's nose and the man looked as if he were about to sneeze.

  
"Okay, let's eat." Baekhyun interrupted, grabbing a chair and plopping down onto it with all the grace of a country bumpkin.

  
Kai immediately forgot about his stare down with Yifan and though it was petty, the ex-soldier was more than a little gratified that he forgot about Chanyeol as well.

  
Still, Yifan looked away and was surprised to see that a bowl of rice was already set in front of him, a plate of what were probably all of Yifan's meat rations set in the middle of the table, seared to perfection and riddled with various vegetables and spices that Yifan had no idea he had.

  
With much gusto, Yifan dug in and since he hasn't eaten anything all day, his table manners were just as bad as Kai's. As if sensing his thoughts, Kai looked up and sent Yifan a glare, but their stare down was interrupted by Chanyeol.

  
The tall male was holding out a dumpling filled with meat in front of Kai's little button nose. Baekhyun was a commendable cook, and Kai agreed because he bit into the food without a single protest, allowing Chanyeol to feed him until it was gone. The fox then picked up another bun and handed it to Chanyeol, opening his mouth expectantly and making a little ' _ahh'_ noise.

  
Yifan clenched his hand into a fist as he watched Chanyeol chuckle and give in, petting and praising Kai after every bite.

  
"Hey, you got a problem with my food Yifan?" Baekhyun asked sourly, his eyes dangerously narrowed at the ex-soldier.

  
"No, it’s fine." Yifan replied curtly, ignoring Baekhyun's raised brow as he scooped up some rice and meat and shoved it in his mouth. The food tasted like ash going down and it settled like a stone in his stomach because right across from him, Kai had finished eating and was now moving around Chanyeol's lap. He stopped when he found a comfortable spot and he nestled his head under the older male’s chin, his tail flicking languidly at his side as Chanyeol began feeding himself now.

  
The cozy sight was almost unpleasant enough to turn Yifan’s stomach.

 

 

✿❀✿

 

 

Early the next morning, Yifan was awoken to the sound of crowing and he groaned as he sat up. His back creaked with the movement and he winced as he gently began stretching his arms above his head, yawning all the while. Once again he was forced to sleep on the floor and once properly awake, Yifan looked around.

On the other side of the hut, Chanyeol was also curled up on the floor, but he had a straw mat to sleep on and one of Yifan's softest and most worn blankets wrapped around his lanky form. Yifan scowled at the sight, he didn't have to look up to know that Baekhyun was hogging his raised bed, the soft, downy mattress dented under his slight weight.

' _Another beautiful day with these intruders,'_ Yifan thought sarcastically, shifting to get up. However he was stopped by a whine and the now familiar feel of arms wrapped around his waist. Frowning, Yifan whipped the sheet he slept with to the side and he was only half surprised to see Kai clinging to him.

Once the cold air hit his body, Kai shivered and curled his fluffy tail around his waist, using it as a makeshift blanket. He mumbled in his sleep and Yifan sighed. He didn't want a repeat of yesterday, so he grabbed Kai by the wrists and tried to pry him off his waist, pushing the fox away in the process. Kai growled and his big brown eyes popped open.

"Wufan," he said in an irritated tone, "Stay!"

"Nope. I have to get up, now move," Yifan huffed. Kai glared at him and he rolled on top of Yifan, burying his face in his chest and hooking his arms and tail around his waist again. "Bad Wufan, _shleep_." His muffled words tickled Yifan's chest and the ex-soldier felt the need to squirm.

“Kai, let go.” Yifan said in an authoritative tone. Kai merely mumbled something, and since his face was pressed into Yifan’s abdomen, his words were muffled and incoherent.

Sighing, Yifan let Kai cling to him, deciding to wait until the fox’s grip on him relaxed in sleep.

Pleased that Yifan was complying, Kai snuggled in close to the older man and welcomed the warm and comforting arms of sleep once again. With the faint light streaming in through Yifan’s bare windows, the ex-soldier took the time to finally relax and just allow himself to let his idle thoughts lull him into an almost dream state.

Foxes were animals he’d never really paid any attention to before. There was a time that Yifan had gone on a walk as a child and saw a white winter fox running across the snow. It kept its eyes on him as it warily darted to its den, a rabbit clutched in its jaws. Unbothered, Yifan had gone home and told his brothers that he saw a winter wolf, throwing the village into a panic because no one wanted a desperate animal so close to the village perimeter.

The memory of everyone’s faces when they found out there was no wolf was humorous and Yifan chuckled at the memory. A minute later it wasn’t so funny when his oldest brother made him fetch water from the frozen river for a week after. The younger version of himself had grumbled and complained every morning, muttering vague excuses about how everyone was lucky he didn’t claim to have seen a snow leopard.

Kai made a snuffling noise in his sleep and Yifan took a peek at him. He was still curled up on Yifan’s torso, but now his tail was wrapped around his own shoulders, nearly covering his nose and hiding half his face from Yifan’s view.

The sight was endearing and Yifan almost considered just staying in bed to keep the fox comfortable, but faint snores coming from his commandeered bed had Yifan carefully shifting out from under the fox. It was a slow process, but Yifan was able to escape after replacing his body with the sheet and the fox lulled off earlier. At first, it appeared as if Kai were going to wake up, but the fox’s nose twitched and his face relaxed, unconsciously clutching the blanket to himself as if it were Yifan.

Smiling at the cute picture Kai made, Yifan made his way outside, pulling on his boots and splashing his face with cold water along the way. The sun was rising and Yifan took a moment to appreciate the view. However, duty called and he was rudely reminded by a crowing Xiumin. The fat little chicken had made a new nest somewhere near the house, but Yifan hadn’t had the time to catch him and put him back in the chicken coup yet.

“Well good morning to you too,” Yifan huffed, wincing and pulling away when Xiumin clucked at the lack of food and pecked at his ankles. The chicken merely looked at him expectantly and Yifan mumbled halfhearted curses as he went back inside the house and grabbed his feed bag. It was a mixture of stuff he bought down in the village and Xiumin seemed particularly fond of the feed.

  
The cows and sheep were awake already when Yifan made his way over the hill to see them. The sheep were grazing in another pen adjacent to them and by the time the ex-soldier had finished feeding every animal he owned, the sun had risen near the middle point of the sky.

  
‘ _Kai should definitely be awake by now_ ,’ Yifan thought, wiping his hands on his pants to get rid of the slight bit of dirt he didn’t remember accumulating. Traversing the old path back up to his home was an easy feat, but with the incessant grumbling of his stomach, it seemed to be a longer walk than usual.

  
When he finally reached the doorway of his home, Yifan was greeted with the hustle and bustle of other people in what used to be his solitary home. The savory scent of food reached his nose and Yifan hurried back inside his home, expecting to see Baekhyun cooking or something, but as soon as he passed the threshold and shut the door behind him, Yifan registered the chaos within his home.

  
Feathers were strewn everywhere and Yifan’s favorite pillow was scattered in ribbons on the floor. Kai was running in circles around the room, knocking things over with his arms full of what Yifan assumed to be eggs. Wild clucking had the ex-soldier looking down and seeing Xiumin rapidly chasing the fox, mercilessly pecking at Kai’s tail whenever the fox let his attention slip. Baekhyun was attempting to catch the chicken, shouting profanities all the while and the giant who spent the night was standing in the corner uselessly, looking as lost as Yifan felt.

  
“NO! Bad Xiu Xiu!!” Kai growled, finally settling for scrambling onto the table and clutching the hem of his shirt to his chest, the armful of eggs contained within the makeshift cloth pouch. The fat chicken merely clucked and strode purposefully up to the table. In a flurry of furious feathers, making even more of a mess, the chicken attempted to fly up onto the table. However, gravity was not in Xiumin’s favor and his chubby body was too heavy for his wings to lift more than a few inches off the ground. So it was with a vague sense of amusement that Yifan watched the chicken lift into the air and then plop back down to the floor with a loud squawk.

  
Kai saw Xiumin fall and the fox began laughing, yelling something about Xiu Xiu, but when his tail strayed too close to the edge of the table, Xiumin hopped up and attempted to peck the fluffy red and white appendage. Kai yelped and yanked his tail out of the way, growling and narrowing his eyes at Xiumin while simultaneously backing further up the table.

  
A sheet flew over the chicken and Yifan watched as Baekhyun jumped forward and wrestled with the panicked and cloth netted chicken.

  
“I got him!” Baekhyun shouted triumphantly, turning to Chanyeol with his face red in exertion. “Hurry and help Kai hide the eggs!”

  
Immediately standing at attention, Chanyeol used his long legs to run across the room and reach for Kai. He gently grabbed the fox around the waist and slipped him off the table. The sight alone had Yifan snapping out of his earlier shock.

  
“What the hell is going on here!?” He snapped, taking a bit of joy in seeing that his voice was enough to make Chanyeol flinch and let go of Kai. The fox’s ears twitched and he glared at Yifan, but he darted toward Yifan’s bed and he dumped the eggs on the bed, using what was left of the pillow to cover the pile.

  
Baekhyun grunted and the ex-soldier watched as he folded up the sheet and lugged it over his shoulder, Xiumin still squawking and struggling within the makeshift sack. “I’m trying to make breakfast, but this _stupid chicken_ is making things difficult.” He huffed and Xiumin managed to get a clawed foot out, scratching Baekhyun on the back of the neck. The petite male shouted a curse and Yifan would have taken the time to make fun of Baekhyun, but his attention was drawn to Kai, who was crouched on all fours on his bed, his dark eyes narrowed, his tail wriggling, and his ears flicked back. He was looking at Chanyeol, who was busy folding his borrowed futon and blanket with his back to the mischievous fox.

  
With complete focus, Kai leaned forward on his arms and wriggled his rear in the air. And within a simple move, Kai pounced and landed on Chanyeol’s back, bringing the tall male down with a surprised yelp.

  
Thinking that Kai could get hurt, Yifan took a step in Chanyeol’s direction; however he paused when he saw Kai pop up, checking to see if Chanyeol was okay. The curly haired man played dead, waiting until Kai gently nudged his chin with his head before he jumped up with a play shout and tackled Kai. The startled fox fell on his back and yelped, but the sound was soon broken off into a high pitched giggle. Chanyeol was tickling his sides, getting caught up in the fox’s energetic mood and chuckling along with Kai’s infectious laugh. Seeing them play together had Yifan frowning and turning away.

  
“FUCK!!” Baekhyun interjected, almost startling Yifan again. Xiumin had escaped the sheet and was flapping his wings around Baekhyun, his claws latched into Baekhyun’s shoulders and his sharp beak pecking at Baekhyun’s head furiously. The ex-soldier bit back a laugh as he watched Baekhyun run around the room, his hands caught between protecting his head and trying to pry the chicken off his back.

  
“Xiu Xiu!” Kai shouted and Yifan had to step in when Kai jumped up and pounced on his uncle, his teeth wrapping around Xiumin’s neck once again.

  
Yifan quickly ran to their side and he picked up Kai. Surprised, the fox relaxed his jaws and a terrified Xiumin sprinted under Yifan’s bed, making sure to step on a groaning Baekhyun on the way. Though upon seeing the chicken make an escape, Kai began struggling and he ended up head butting Yifan in the chin. Making a pained noise, Yifan dropped Kai and rubbed his sore jaw. For how fluffy and soft Kai’s black hair and red ears were, his head was hard and a direct hit had Yifan feeling a bruise forming.

  
Kai seemed dazed at the fall, but he looked up with wide brown eyes and when he took in Yifan’s pained expression, he stood up. Leaning into the ex-soldier’s personal space, Kai made a cooing noise and he stepped on the tip of his toes, “Wufan hurt?”

  
Yifan grunted and attempted to nod. Kai stared at him some more and when Yifan was about to wave him off, the fox stepped closer and grabbed the sides of Yifan’s face. The ex-soldier froze and Kai didn’t hesitate to nuzzle into the corner of Yifan’s neck, and within the next second, he licked a stripe right over the forming bruise on his chin.

  
‘ _What…!?_ ’ Yifan thought and he was sure that he was making a strange expression and while that usually would have been enough to make him snap back into himself, he was stuck acting like a statue. The feeling of Kai’s warmth, followed by the coolness of his saliva was teasing Yifan’s senses, and the fox didn’t make things better with the way he latched onto Yifan and insistently bumped the older man’s limp hand against the top of his head.

  
“Wufan better!” Kai huffed, shaking the still limp hand more vigorously, glaring up at Yifan. “Now touch Kai.”

  
“DON’T YOU DARE!!” Baekhyun shouted and Yifan gulped when the brunette grabbed Kai and glared at him. This was becoming a familiar sight, but why was Yifan the only one subject to the crazy uncle’s antics? Chanyeol got a kiss the night before and Baekhyun didn’t freak out then!

  
A loud series of cracks sounded within the room and everyone froze. Kai’s ear twitched and he turned to see Chanyeol sitting on Yifan’s bed with a shocked expression on his face. His knees were drawn up to his front and Xiumin was at the foot of the bed, flapping his thin wings frantically. The chicken had pecked Chanyeol until the giant took refuge on Yifan’s bed.

  
Realization dawned on Yifan and based off of Baekhyun’s wide eyes, he understood as well.

 

The eggs were _cracked_.

 

  
“That’s it,” Baekhyun declared. “I’m killing this chicken _and_ cooking him.”

  
Kai cheered and bounded to the bed, however Yifan grabbed him and hauled him over his shoulder. The fox whined and struggled, almost kicking Yifan in the face.

  
Baekhyun was already circling Xiumin and Yifan stepped in front of him, hoping that if they didn’t see one another they wouldn’t fight.

“Baekhyun, wait!” The man tried to reach around him to get to the chicken, but Yifan kept stepping in front of him with a hand held out, his other holding Kai in place. Pouting at being stopped from eating the fat chicken again, Kai whipped his tail and smacked Yifan in the face.

  
“ _Ugh_ ,” Yifan sputtered, Baekhyun cracked a small teasing smile, but his arms were crossed and he was still waiting for a chance to wring the chicken’s neck. “Leave Xiumin alone, we can make breakfast without eggs—”

  
“We have no more food!” Baekhyun interrupted and he narrowed his eyes and he jabbed Yifan in the chest with a slim finger. “You ate it all like a pig! You unrepentant—”

  
“Fine!” Yifan shouted back, feeling frustrated. “I’ll go to the village and buy some more food, you just wait here and clean up or something.” Without waiting for a reply, he tightened his hold on Kai and spun on his heels, slipping out the doorway and prepared to make a trip to the village for the first time in years.

  
“Bye Beak-hyun, bye Kai’s Fènghuáng! Eat Xiu Xiu!” Kai shouted happily, his tail wriggling and blocking Yifan’s view as he waved and smiled at his gaping uncle. Xiumin clucked in reply and strutted out the door, disappearing around the back of the house to his nest while Chanyeol scrambled to clean the sheets without making more of a mess with the cracked eggs.

 

 

  
✿❀✿

 

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Google Translate Translation:
> 
> Fènghuáng- Phoenix
> 
> (¬‿¬)☝

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment! Any and all are appreciated  
>  (´・ω・)っ♥♥♥


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